I personally would not leave a pit bull outside. They theft rate for an APBT is very high. APBTs are not just dogs you can leave outside. They require a great deal of human interaction as well as physical and mental stimulation. They are not content to sit outside in a kennel or chained all day long. Southern winters and summers can be brutal. We rarely have sunny, 60F days. APBTs have short coats that cannot withstand very cold temperatures so unless you're willing to provide a very good living area (can be costly), outside living is not an options for pit bulls. If your dog HAS to live outside, look here: http://www.workingpitbull.com/Q&A.htm#housing

Pit bulls can get along with cats if properly socialized and introduced.

Welcome to the board!! voodoo gave you some very good information. If you want an outside dog, a pit bull isn't for you. They need to be inside with their families. They are too people-pleasing to be happy outside all the time. Most of the time when you read stories of pit bull attacks, the attacking dog lived outside. It is rarely an indoor, loving family pit bull that attacks.

Then why not wait until you get a place of your own that allows pit bulls. Dogs in shelters start with a person who gets a dog. He lives at home and his parents aren't too keen on the idea. After a while, the puppy loses its luster. Mom and dad get sick of the smell, or the barking, or the whining and make the son get rid of the dog. There goes another pit bull to the shelter...

You would be much better off waiting until you are in a situation where you are not living under anyone elses rules. Why not volunteer at a shelter? They always need dog walkers. That way you can get your doggie fix and it will bring you closer to the time when you can be on your own.

Your situation just sounds like a problem waiting to happen, to me... We've all heard it before on this board. We get many members who get a dog who live at home and then all of a sudden the dog is a problem and the person who had it is scrambling to find another home for it...

Boo439 wrote:Then why not wait until you get a place of your own that allows pit bulls. Dogs in shelters start with a person who gets a dog. He lives at home and his parents aren't too keen on the idea. After a while, the puppy loses its luster. Mom and dad get sick of the smell, or the barking, or the whining and make the son get rid of the dog. There goes another pit bull to the shelter...

You would be much better off waiting until you are in a situation where you are not living under anyone elses rules. Why not volunteer at a shelter? They always need dog walkers. That way you can get your doggie fix and it will bring you closer to the time when you can be on your own.

Your situation just sounds like a problem waiting to happen, to me... We've all heard it before on this board. We get many members who get a dog who live at home and then all of a sudden the dog is a problem and the person who had it is scrambling to find another home for it...

I asked questions about outdoor housing, not an evaluation of my life.

Don't get defensive, jkd. Boo and many other pit lovers here are just concerned about the dog (not meaning you're a bad owner).

Outdoor life isn't a very good one for a human-oriented breed like an APBT. Unless you're willing to come home every day after work (assuming you do work) instead of going out with your friends and having a good time so you can pick up poop in the sweltering summers or freezing winters, play with the dog, run the dog, sit with the dog, train the dog, pay scads of vet bills, socialize the dog and love the dog....then a pit bull is not for you. Dog ownership isn't taking care of their needs when we have the time but when we DON'T have the time (if that makes sense).

Really consider waiting to get an APBT when you have your own place and can take care of your dog without your parent's telling you how you should.